


friends with an ache in their soul

by ectocosme



Category: The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Teenagers, Time Travel, implied tho, nothing that hurt too much, nothing too fluffy, work n°45
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 06:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15723855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ectocosme/pseuds/ectocosme
Summary: During the night Jiang Cheng witnesses a worrying erratic behaviour from Wei Wuxian. Everything seems back to normal in the morning, but not for long.





	friends with an ache in their soul

Jiang Cheng woke up when his door was opened in the middle of the night. He rolled on his stomach and lifted himself on his arms even before knowing who was here. He exhaled a tired sigh when he recognised the silhouette cut by the moonlight in the doorframe. Wei Wuxian padded inside, silent even in his moves.

“What are you doing here? I warn you I'm not getting up to go into town tonight, even if you beg,” Jiang Cheng huffed, flopping down on his back and putting an arm on his eyes.

Wei Wuxian stopped near his bed, still silent. Jiang Cheng opened his eyes again and looked at his brother in heart. Since the door was closed, only minimal light shaped Wei Wuxian's features, but from what he saw, Jiang Cheng couldn't stop his heart from leaping into his throat and his heart hammering. He sat up quickly.

“Wei Ying?” he called. “Stop trying to scare me! Snap out of it!”

“Jiang Cheng?”

The other stared at him with eyes huge, unmoving like he couldn't look away for fear to lose him, and his arms trembled at his sides.

Jiang Cheng licked his lips and lifted a hand to tug on Wei Wuxian's inner robe now sure that the young man was in a bad dream even if standing. Wei Wuxian let himself be pulled down and kneeled on the bed, his hands uselessly limp at his sides and mouth agape.

“Are you okay? You're really scaring me here,” Jiang Cheng said, cupping Wei Wuxian's cheeks to angle his head so he could see his eyes better. Wei Wuxian looked at him like he couldn't believe his own eyes.

"Hey, you're awake or still sleeping?" Jiang Cheng asked, pinching a cheek to make the other react. Wei Wuxian startled, blinked and touched his cheek before frowning. The expression made Jiang Cheng chuckle. "Yeah, okay. You were sleeping. Go back to your bed, idiot."

"What?" Wei Wuxian exclaimed, stuttering nonsense a second before pouting. "You attack me and don't even kiss it better? I'm wounded, Jiang Cheng!"

Before Jiang Cheng could pinch Wei Wuxian's other cheek the young man pounced on him and trapped him in a bear hug. Jiang Cheng groaned as his ribs were squeezed hard. He struggled, pushed Wei Wuxian's head away from his neck and saw the shine in them and he froze. Whatever Wei Wuxian had dreamt about, it had shaken him.

“Urgh! I'm too tired to fight you,” Jiang Cheng complained as he rolled on his side. “Let me sleep.”

He pretended to fall asleep, unmoving as Wei Wuxian embraced him from behind. When he heard soft crying he nearly turned around and hugged back the young man, but he didn't find the bravery to do so. Wei Wuxian would laugh and tease him, pretend he was alright. Never had he been honest about his feelings to Jiang Cheng and in consequence Jiang Cheng had never managed to understand what he needed – comfort or some advices – for Wei Wuxian was a liar.

Jiang Cheng could only let Wei Wuxian cry – not alone this time – and let him snuggle into his back, his forehead pressed into Jiang Cheng's neck. Maybe when Wei Wuxian would be asleep Jiang Cheng would be able to wiggle out of his death hug to turn around and hold him for good.

 

⁞⁞

If Jiang Cheng didn't witness Wei Wuxian's breaking point – where he started babbling voice trembling and eyes watering – he had no means to know if Wei Wuxian was doing fine or was ready to curl up and bawl his eyes out.

(And when Wei Wuxian was curling up and bawling his eyes out if Jiang Cheng did as much as pat him with sympathy or a hint of sadness then he sprung on his legs and pretended he had been joking.)

Yet this morning Wei Wuxian was still acting as strangely as during the night. Jiang Cheng woke up first, at least he thought. When he finally needed to get up for pressing reasons, Wei Wuxian held onto him a short while before jumping away and going to his own bedroom.

At the announcement of the first meal of the day, Jiang Cheng went to fetch Wei Wuxian and found him joyful and full of energy. Until his eyes fell on Jin Zixuan and they got lost in his thoughts. Wei Wuxian kept circling between his naturally happy-go-lucky self and a man that seemed to have seen death on his doorsteps only to take away people he loved.

“Hey,” Jiang Cheng called at a moment, taking advantage of Wei Wuxian slowing down at his call to drap an arm around his shoulders. “You're strange today.”

Wei Wuxian's grin and giggle came easily. He leaned against Jiang Cheng and draped an arm around his waist, “Aren't I always eccentric though?”

Jiang Cheng couldn't help huff in amusement. The teenagers in front of them all moaned when they saw the thin rain become a pour. They had to traverse a hundred chi before attaining the main hall – a terribly thought out building organisation all the guest disciples agreed. The Gusulan disciples hadn't to troubles themselves for their quarters were linked to the main buildings.

“Let's find umbrellas,” Nie Huaisang said.

"What? No! Let's run, I'm starving!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed, jumping up and down on the sole of his feet before dashing under the rain.

The others were quick to follow him under the heavy rain, laughing and disregarding the Gusulan sect's rules without a second thought. Jiang Cheng wasn't different, he lunged forward, grinning as the water hit his head. If he was quick enough he would only be a bit humid on the head and shoulders.

He reached the steps of the main hall and shook himself.

“Hey, what's Wuxian-xiong doing?” Nie Huaisang asked.

Jin Zixuan sniffled, ignoring them to go inside but it caught Jiang Cheng's attention. Looking back he saw Wei Wuxian frozen under the heavy pour, head tilted back and hands at his sides until he lifted them, palm to the sky and stared at them. Jiang Cheng's heart froze when he heard a laugh, half-way broken and disbelieving. Wei Wuxian laughed then jumped up and down on his feet with a happy screech.

The weird behaviour made Jiang Cheng run back to Wei Wuxian. He grabbed his collar and shook the teen so he'd look at him. Wei Wuxian's face was illuminated by overwhelming joy.

“I'm back!” Wei Wuxian blurted out, grabbing Jiang Cheng's shoulders back. “Jiang Cheng, I'm back! And you don't hate me! You don't hate me! This is beautiful. I-... I can save  _everyone_.”

Jiang Cheng took the young man's cheeks, fear for him making his fingers trembles, “A-Ying, what nonsense-”

Wei Wuxian hugged him tightly, burrowing his head into the crook of his neck.

“I can't believe it!”

Jiang Cheng draped his arms around the other, worried of his state of mind, but calmed down as Wei Wuxian did so, still repeating he couldn't believe it. Then came the quiet sobs from Wei Wuxian.

“By the heavens,” Jiang Cheng sighed, dropping his cheek on Wei Wuxian's top of the head. “Did you go drink yesterday and someone gave you a strange powder? Did you hallucinate and you're having a drop?”

Wei Wuxian's sobs were broken by a laugh and he squeezed Jiang Cheng's middle tighter. Jiang Cheng didn't oppose it, he sighed and waited for Wei Wuxian to get better as he would surely be. As he always pretended to be.

“It's good, it's good,” Wei Wuxian whispered. “But-”

Jiang Cheng startled when the rain stopped. Glancing over his shoulder he was even more stunned to met Lan Wangji's eyes as he held an umbrella above the three of them. Wei Wuxian sniffled and lifted his head, Lan Wangji's eyes left Jiang Cheng to focus on Wei Wuxian. In an instant, Jiang Cheng felt like he was unwanted or more precisely that both of the teens had forgotten his presence.

Lan Wangji inclined his head to the side and said cryptically, “Did you think I wouldn't follow?”

Wei Wuxian stiffened, emitting a shocked 'ah' before he got out of Jiang Cheng's arms and jumped on Lan Wangji to snake his arms around his neck and hug him tightly. Under the heavy rain one could think Wei Wuxian was a drowning man clutching to his anchor. At Jiang Cheng surprise, Lan Wangji put an arm around Wei Wuxian's waist.

“You're mad! It was dangerous!”

Lan Wangji closed his eyes and hummed.

⁞⁞

Jiang Cheng understood what happened little by little. The clues started with how Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian's personality shifted. They were still the same, but slightly crooked, like a different version of themselves. In consequence, their relationship changed too, now they moved like one body, like partners knowing each other for years. After that came some decisions that looked like nonsense at first – like befriending Wen Qing and her brother or finding one prostitute’s son – which all slowly unfolded into a bigger scheme.

They knew of the future.

Obviously, they never had said so. As Wei Wuxian told him one day "You wouldn't believe me and you'll accuse me of pranking you!"

He could have asked Lan Wangji as they were practically glued to the hip but Jiang Cheng had seen the heartache, anguish and sense of urgency hidden deep inside Wei Wuxian and his jokes. Those eyes convinced him asking was the bad idea. Jiang Cheng prefered to live a life of ignorance of what could have happened.

**Author's Note:**

> bah forget the title  
>  ~~forget the whole story too~~
> 
> Don't ask about next chapter. There isn't one. I'm sure a few writers can changr their mind and add to one shot. But not me. If a fic is a one shot it's because _it's better that way_ and changing it will make me hate the fic.


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